America's First Dynasty: The Adamses 1735-1918 (Unabridged)

In America's First Dynasty, Richard Brookhiser tells the story of America's longest and still-greatest dynasty, the Adamses, the only family in our history to play a leading role in American affairs for nearly two centuries. John Adams was only the first of the Adamses to occupy the highest office in the land; his son, John Quincy Adams, ascended to the presidency as an equal champion of liberty. Following in this great legacy were writers Charles Francis Adams and Henry Adams, the latter of whom proved as able to write on art history as on affairs of state and government; Henry Adams won a Pulitzer Prize for his work.

Brookhiser has written a great history of a great family, balancing praise with due consideration of the family's darker side.